


Drive Darling

by allyasavedtheday



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I mean I think it's fluffy?, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-27
Updated: 2013-04-27
Packaged: 2017-12-09 17:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyasavedtheday/pseuds/allyasavedtheday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“When you asked if we could leave…”</p><p>“Part of me meant forever…Part of me meant just for a little while.”</p><p>Derek and Stiles go for a drive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drive Darling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [warmth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/warmth/gifts).



Stiles isn’t actually surprised when he arrives at his jeep after school and sees Derek already sitting in the passenger seat. They’ve been together a year, he’s used to the creeper tendencies.

He slides into the driver the seat, shoving his bag into the backseat. “What’s up?” he asks, fiddling to get the keys in the ignition.

Derek doesn’t reply and that’s when Stiles suspects something’s wrong. He looks away from his keys and takes Derek in. He looks nervous. And, hidden beneath dozens of brick walls, there’s fear. If Stiles didn’t know him as well as he did, he wouldn’t see it.

Stiles frowns and lets his hand slide over to rest on Derek’s knee, “What is it?”

It’s taken time but he’s learned that in situations like this, Derek doesn’t always want to be hugged. Sometimes he just needs the comforting pressure of Stiles’ hand on him to keep him grounded.

Stiles looks at him beseechingly until Derek’s eyes meet his. They’re wide, bright crystal pools that Stiles gets lost in if he stares for too long.

“Can we leave?” Derek’s voice is so small, so unlike him, that Stiles feels a chill in his bones. Something’s happened. Something terrible. It must’ve. Derek wouldn’t be like this otherwise.

Stiles leans over; his free hand finding Derek’s. “What happened?” He knows he sounds scared. He can’t help it. 

Derek’s eyes close like he can’t bear to keep them open for another minute and his forehead bumps gently against Stiles’.

“Stiles.  _Please_.”

He swallows and pulls away from Derek to start the car. Derek lets out a little breath of relief and leans his head against the window.

Stiles casts a furtive glance Derek’s way once more and pulls out of the parking lot. Once they’re on the stretch of road out of Beacon Hills he takes one hand off the steering wheel and seeks out Derek’s. Derek continues to stare unseeingly out the window but his hand opens willingly when Stiles’ hand snakes up his wrist and their fingers knot together.

* 

Stiles is going slightly insane trying to figure out what’s wrong with Derek. He doesn’t ask because he knows he won’t get an answer. Things have been great lately. Beacon Hills has been quiet for months, the pack’s settled, and Derek’s the happiest Stiles has ever seen him.

Derek wouldn’t leave if the pack was in immediate danger so it must be something that just affects him. 

“Derek, will you please tell me what’s wrong?” Stiles doesn’t even try to hide the desperation in his tone.

“What date is it Stiles?” Derek says tiredly.

And in an instant, Stiles knows what’s wrong. It’s Laura’s anniversary.  

“Derek, I’m sor-“

“Don’t. It’s not your fault.” Derek is cold and closed off in a way he hasn’t been in a long time but he still squeezes Stiles’ hand a little tighter like he’s afraid he’ll let go.

Stiles nods to himself and feels anger bitter in his mouth. Because his eyes are burning and his throat feels tight and why should he get to cry when Derek probably has a stranglehold on his own emotions for Stiles’ sake?

*

Eventually Stiles drives them to the beach. Derek hasn’t spoken in thirty minutes and twenty-seven seconds. He’s been counting. 

Derek pulls his hand out of Stiles’ hold and climbs out of the jeep. Stiles watches him through the wind-shield. He stands motionless for a moment, watching the waves, and then he’s climbing onto the hood of the jeep, drawing his knees to his chest.

It takes longer than it should for Stiles to convince himself to get out and join him. But when he does Derek immediately leans into his space.

Stiles’ arm winds round him and he rests their heads together. The breeze is just strong enough for you to feel it and the sky is a riot of pinks, oranges and blues. It’s pretty deserted and Stiles is grateful because he knows the last thing Derek wants right now is to be surrounded by people.

“Sometimes I want to run away,” is how Derek breaks his silence. “Today was the closest I got to following through with that.”

“When you asked if we could leave…”

“Part of me meant forever…Part of me meant just for a little while.”

Stiles loves when Derek is honest. Which he know sounds weird because Derek’s not a liar. But sometimes Derek reveals these hidden truths and his voice goes really soft and small. And he always seems to lean a little closer to Stiles in those moments like he’s afraid of someone overhearing.

“Well, I’m glad you at least included me in your plans.” Stiles knows his ability to make light of crappy situations makes Derek feel better. Even if he’s breaking inside, he’ll make a joke because it makes Derek frown a little less.

This time, Stiles sees Derek smile out of the corner of his eye. It’s so gentle, his lips are barely quirked but he looks content. He looks like the most beautiful thing Stiles has ever seen.

They haven’t said, “I love you”, mostly because Stiles knows Derek  _can’t_. But he wants to. God he wants to. He just wants to tell him and reassure him and hold him and he doesn’t need to hear it back. He just needs Derek to know. 

Stiles could say it. But he knows what’ll happen if he does. Derek will stiffen in his arms and then jerk away and he’ll shut himself away in his head and won’t let Stiles in. Not because he doesn’t feel it too. But because he knows he can’t say it back and that’ll kill him.

So Stiles doesn’t say it. Even if this is a perfect moment. Instead he kisses Derek’s temple and waits for the sun and the sand and the sea to wash away all Derek’s bad memories.

*

Dusk is fading into darkness when they get back in the jeep. 

“Are you ready to go home?” Stiles asks because he has to, but honestly, he wouldn’t mind running away with Derek for a little while.

Derek nods and settles into the same position he was in before.

He shares a lot of things with Derek. But his favourite thing to share is silence. Because it feels uniquely their own. You can have the same conversation with a million different people but sharing the quiet with someone isn’t something you can replicate. And Stiles wouldn’t want to. 

This silence belongs to him and Derek alone and he loves that it’s one of those inexplicable things he’ll never be able to truly describe with words. 

He can’t describe how he feels driving in a car with the person he loves, holding their hand in a moment that’s so still and peaceful, it’s like time’s stopped.

Derek skims his thumb absently over the back of Stiles’ hand and his eyes are half-lidded and sleepy. When Stiles pulls up in front of the loft his lashes flutter like he’d been asleep for a second and he looks at Stiles and smiles. The same smile from the beach.

He opens his mouth and Stiles thinks he’ll probably say thank you for today or try to apologise for being upset earlier or maybe he’ll ask Stiles to stay the night.

But he doesn’t say any of those things.

He’s sitting in a car with Stiles, holding his hand in a moment that’s so still and peaceful, it’s like time stopped.

And he says, “I love you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> So I don't really know what this is. What I do know is that it was Hela's birthday and this is her present and it was originally way more angsty so I decided to rewrite and make it fluffy XD
> 
> So anywayyy, Happy Birthday Hela! <33
> 
> Title comes from the song Drive Darling by BOY
> 
> As always, characters are not mine and you can find me on tumblr at [ allyasavedtheday](http://allyasavedtheday.tumblr.com/)


End file.
